Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Route 228 Jazz Arrangement || insaneintherainmusic (Sinnoh Fusion Ensemble)

What better way to tackle this sandy route theme than with a full funky fusion band of awesome musicians? Insaneintherainmusic's jazz cover / remix of “Route 228" from Pokémon Diamond / Pearl / Platinum featuring the Sinnoh Fusion Ensemble! #yearofsinnoh

Trumpet - Lachie Day
Trumpet (Solo) - Richard Stanmeyer
Tenor Saxophone - Carlos Eiene
Tenor Saxophone - Trace Zacur
Trombone (Solo) - Auden Durant
Sousaphone (Solo) - Ian Lazan
Electric Guitar - Spiro Dussias
Piano - Yoko Suzuki
Rhodes, Organ - Jonathan Huber
Electric Bass - Alan “Speedy” Peralta
Drumset - Francis Peña
Percussion - Ricky Matute
Recording Engineer - Joel Edinberg
Mixing & Mastering - Carlos Eiene
Videography - Peter Gillette, Jen Bongarzone, Frank Muniz, Madeline Motyczka
Video Editing - Peter Gillette & Carlos Eiene

Ever since I completed the gargantuan Jazz Video Game Medley project earlier this year, my eyes were opened to some more grand possibilities for my channel. Most of my videos here have been multitrack creations arranged by me, performed by my, mixed by me, and edited by me. I'm very thankful to have gained so many skills in various domains after being forced to wear several different hats in the creative process! However, I never really considered what it would be like to have a band to play my arrangements on the regular. I guess it's time to introduce the Sinnoh Fusion Ensemble!

This band is comprised of some of my best friends here at the Berklee College of Music. I've met each of these members in various different circumstances here at school (playing in ensembles with them, sharing classes, meeting during recording sessions) and I'm so grateful to know each one of them. In August of this year, when I was considering starting the Year of Sinnoh, I was struck with the idea to put together a band to play this music. I did this for several reasons. One, well-trained musicians playing their instrument live ALWAYS sound better than MIDI or sequenced instruments, and I knew that I wanted to bring forth the best audio quality possible for working on this fantastic music from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Two, this is my last year at Berklee (I graduate in Spring 2020), and I thought this would be a great excuse to make some lasting recordings with some of my best friends from school. Three, playing with a live band is so much fun! Out of all parts of the music making process, I love arranging the most. Getting to arrange for these players has been such a joy. I get such a great feeling writing a voicing or a specific solo section knowing exactly which person is going to get this part, and tailoring that specifically to them... gosh, it's so great.

Anyway, onto the song itself! Route 228 is a song that's been pretty highly requested of me for a while, but I never really knew how I would cover it in a way that did the original arrangement justice. It's got a VERY strange, winding melody that proved to be really difficult to transcribe when I was first working on this! In the end, I settled on a laid-bank funky groove with lots of space for solos and improvisation inspired by Snarky Puppy's "Atchafalaya". There's also a sousaphone feature! When I learned that my friend Ian played the sousaphone, I thought to myself "when's the next time you're ever going to have the chance to use a sousaphone in one of your videos?" and decided to jump on it! The clapping break was added to the arrangement specifically for playing this song live - I wanted a song that would really get the crowd engaged and rowdy, and this song has done just that when we've played it live! (Video footage of live shows coming in the future!) Overall, this arrangement is actually pretty simple compared to what I usually put out... but just you wait, more amazing stuff from the Sinnoh Fusion Ensemble is coming soon!

♫ “Route 228" from "Pokémon Diamond & Pearl" composed & arranged by Hitomi Sato

SOCIAL MEDIA:

[Swiftphantom]

my mans covering the entire sinnoh ost

not that that's a bad thing, not even close to one

[ChristopherMoom]

Carlos' production is evolving, now he's working in a studio

[mii]

I am a Japanese. When I found and played this video, I was almost in tears. I like this song very much. And I like this arrangement too. I commented this using a translator. Thank you very much.

[Drahcirlee]

When Nintendo/GameFreak won't make Sinnoh remakes so InsaneInTheRain does it themselves

[DesDeLaNet]

No one:
Carlos: *puts together the most fire jazz fusion band of this decade*

[Inkyink]

Smh this isn't a song.

*It's an experience*

[taco]

>Sinnoh covers

This will keep me satisfied till they remake Sinnoh. I love how I can always come here for a twist on games I cherished as a child. Please keep doing this.

[trouserzipper]

You make me scared that I’ll be disappointed with actual GEn 4 remake music

[thereallichking]

Just wating for Team Galactic man, ALL of their themes are gonna be SO GOOD

[stllr_]

I think my favourite part of this is just how hard you're groovin in the background during solos

excellent rendition

[Moltensheep]

These themes are just *too* good.
Probably my favorite part is all the instruments, since there's so much going on in this theme, so that suits it well. (And the guy on the left during the clapping section XD)

[BlakBackJK]

My man on the trombone is getting a lil red

[WillHsuMusic]

Can we pause and appreciate JAZZ SOUSAPHONE???

As a tuba player and Pokémon fan, all I have to say is YAAAASSS! I love the extra little bite it adds to the bass line

[marcusgiustiniani]

lmao when the bass was on camera but the guitar just started playing. What a prank

[shinigamimiroku]

I love how silly this is while still being the high-quality music that I expect.

[feminico]

Im still here listening three years after. It never gets old and is still amazing

[avdusknoir]

fucking wild that this got thrown into siiva’s route 228 rip

[thelonebone]

Gotta love how this came out the same day I’m trying out for a jazz clinic. Nice stuff as always!


Update: I ended up getting the same chair as last year. Oh well, I've got other things to focus on now though. A friend and I are putting up a 5-piece group to perform Carlos' arrangement of Snowman within the next month, and our school's putting on Chicago for our musical next spring.

[duetchops]

A studio recording! I cannot wait what you have in store for this year!

[AAABattery__]

I am loving the creativity and the collabs with this album. But also makes me feel sooo nostalgic... I think I’m gonna go and play Pokémon Diamond again...